Pause with Sam Jay's debut featured the Black conservative perspective without being condescending

VICE

The SNL writer's debut episode last Friday, titled "Coons," was "a thoughtful and unconventional start to a comedy series, from a thoughtful and unconventional comedian," says Ashwin Rodrigues. After a comprehensive discussion on “cooning,” defined in the show as “exploiting one’s own community for personal gain or acceptance from a dominant culture," Jay showed an interview with two young "pro-Black conservatives." "Jay does not mock her guests, and instead, thoughtfully questions them," says Rodrigues. "She asks what it’s like to align with a party historically steeped in racism, and allows them space to explain what conservatism means to them. It’s a premise that some will dismiss on its face. But by having a conversation without condescending, Jay thinks she can be more effective." Jay said of the interview: "“They were kids. They're idealistic, and they have big ideas about the world and what it can be. I'm an adult, I'm not gonna step on that. I can maybe guide it, like water. But to just be like, 'Oh, you don't know the fuck you're talking about,' is not me.”